Carriers are used on vehicles for transporting items that will not fit in the vehicle or which are more conveniently carried outside the vehicle. Even when there is room within a vehicle for an object, carrying an object on a hitch-mounted carrier facilitates access to the object. For example, when a cooler is positioned on a hitch-mounted carrier, the cooler contents are more available for people at a tailgating party.
Various hitch-mounted carriers are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,209 to Hill for a “Vehicle Cargo Attachment Support” describes a flat hitch-mounted carrier having a rectilinear frame, perforated floor, and a second mounting tube, orthogonal to the first mounting tube, to mount the carrier when it is not in use and being transported. A container cover latches to the rectilinear frame to secure the items being carried. U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,702 to Sadler for a “Vehicle Cargo Carrier” shows a hitch-mounted rectilinear frame that supports a cargo enclosure for carrying objects. U.S. Pat. No. 8,857,688 to Bell, III for a “Collapsible Hitch Mounted Cargo Carrier” describes a collapsible carrier that includes arms that unfold to produce a base and fold upward at the ends to form side walls. U.S. Design Pat. No. D527,028 to Ford for a “Dual Carrier for Spreaders” describes a hitch-mounted carrier that supports two spreaders.
Some carriers use an enclosed container or cage to contain carried items. Some carriers include a lower surface or floor and use a raised rim or wall to retain carried items.